Hi gaterites! It’s been an incredibly busy and amazing week–and I’m beginning to hone in on my business ideas and focus (stick around for an upcoming post…;)). Yay. And here are yummies from around the web:

{Photo-graphee} JT365 – the photography of Jeremiah Tolbert

Jeremy’s photography is out.stand.ing. And I am fortunate enough to know him through Cohere. I have my eye on several photographs to get made into deliciously awesome prints. 

{Leaping. And it’s Dark.} A Provocative Perspective on Fear – Ronna Detrick

Fear is an emotion–not an entity. And even if I’m scared, I’m gonna be okay. {I was scared when I proclaimed/admitted/squeaked in my last blog post that I’ve started my own business. If I say WRITE that I’ve started a business, it’s out there for the world to see–and I’m accountable. That was scary for me. But it’s gonna be okay. It’s gonna be awesome, actually.}

{RSSing} I killed my Reader – DT Pennington 

I’ve read this post at least four times, and I enjoy it every time. Mr. Pennington asks, in essence, “Where is the good online content–I mean the really good content?” I say good content absolutely exists…but it takes work to find it. Just like walking into a library, there’s a lot of mediocre, drab content. But there are gems, too–classics, even. The same is true for the web. 

{Delight for Eyes, Ears & Brain} blakejackson.me

I pretty much love errthing on Blake’s tumblr. Really, it could single-handedly fuel Gater Snacks. So just go check it out & subscribe. :)

{Image} via bear

Two weeks ago, I was violated by a professional. Or maybe by a couple of professionals.

Sounds wrong, doesn’t it?

Upon returning to my car on a sunny Sunday afternoon, I opened the driver’s side door to see my dashboard’s innards falling out. I froze and stared at the empty space where my CD deck used to be, and then squeaked at Brent, who had just walked me to my car. As he came back to see what was wrong,* I looked at my backseat floor; my laptop bag was gone, too. The laptop bag that had my precious little MacBook Air (a.k.a. my Entire Life) in it.

Cue wide eyes, dropped jaw, heart in stomach.

Yeah, someone ripped out my car’s sound system and made off with my laptop.

So annoying.

My wise friend Doniree also had things stolen out of her car this summer. She tells an eloquent story—and her discussion about how violating it is to be robbed sums up my own sentiments.

My thoughts about having $3,000 worth of equipment stolen? Annoying. And inconvenient. But it could have been so much worse. The thieves were professionals. So that meant no broken windows. Barely any damage to the dash where they pried out my CD deck. They ripped (cut?) the wires cleanly; they gently unlatched my custom-built 12-inch subwoofer box in my trunk. No dents on my doors. Even my gorgeous eggplant-colored, 40s-style pumps were sitting on my seat, untouched. (They obviously didn’t have size 7- 1/2 feet nor a taste for 3-inch heels. Good.) Oh–perhaps most significant of all: the Caligater went untouched.

They did an awesome job, all told. They were obviously professionals.

Yep, I was violated by professionals.

Which brings me to…the birth of a business. Namely, my business.**

I wrote about quitting my job and reprioritizing my goals. When I quit my job, I had zero inkling that nearly one year later I’d be working for myself as a copywriter and content creator (hahahaha, I love calling myself a “content creator”).

But what does being violated by professionals have anything to do with fixin’ my bid’ness, you ask?

It forced me to ask for help.

Ick.

I don’t like/ develop hives when /get heebie-jeebies from/am not good at asking for help. But I do all of my work from a computer. And I’m fresh out of a computer. So, I began to reach out to my rather amazing network to let them know that I am eagerly taking on new clients and projects in order to save money for a new computer.

And the response from my network? WOAH. My friends, acquaintances and connections have gone above and beyond to help a sista out by referring new clients and contracting out projects here and there.

I have been floored. And humbled.

And because I am talking to new clients and working on new projects, I’m also solidifying the fact that I am, indeed, running my own business. Business write-offs, 25%+ self-employment taxes and scope creep, here. I. come.!

Having my laptop stolen forced me to ask for help. And in asking for help, I’m growing my business. And I think I’m growing a little bit, too. (OK, hopefully I’m growing a lottabit.) I sense that this recent adventure will push me forward. Wheeee!

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*and by “came back to see what was wrong” I actually mean Brent called the cops for me, checked my entire car, searched the surrounding area for the slim possibility my bag had been dumped somewhere, and generally prevented me from losing my marbles. Hero material!

**I’m still trying to figure out my ACTUAL business name. I think Erika’s suggestion is the chompiest: “Consult-a-Gater, LLC: Making Business Bite-Sized” ^_^

+++

Coda | I’m still looking to begin work on new projects. :)  I’d love your help. *nudgenudge winkwink*

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totally sweet image via Stefan on Flickr

{Reel} Your Secret

(Originally seen on The Mindfulist.) I am completely smitten with this video.

Your secret from Jean-Sebastien Monzani on Vimeo.

{Eye candy} 20×200 – An Art Project

“(limited editions × low prices) + the internet = art for everyone”

Affordable art. Awesome. I love going to museums, galleries and shows. But I always felt like I would only be able to buy original art once I had a high-paying job and owned a home. There are tons of art collectives on the web where you can buy art directly from artists–for affordable prices, too. 20×200 happens to be my latest go-to site.

{Brain candy} Wordpost: “There are no blog how-tos for the hard stuff”

And here is where you get a well-written, thoughtful kick in the pants. You’ll like it – I promise. Here’s a gem: “reading and talking about action feels like a great substitute for real action.”  The gist of Andrew’s superb post is this: spend more time offline than you spend online; rock your business; DO something.

{Geeky} 5 Practical Uses for Foursquare Tips

Mike Fraietta, who just left Boulder (sadface) to start a new adventure in Toronto (happyface) wrote a great article about the usefulness of Foursquare. Wha?? You didn’t know Foursquare could be useful? Boo.Yah.

{Yay} via Bear

I had an awesome evening this summer playing in the park in the rain. When I came across this photo, it put me right back into that moment.

Iterate |it-uh-reyt|
- To operate or be applied repeatedly, as a linguistic rule or mathematical formula (Dictionary.com)

- Perform or utter repeatedly. Make repeated use of a mathematical or computational procedure, applying it each time to the result of the previous application; perform iteration. (Oxford American Dictionary)

+++
Each day is a blank slate. And I really mean that: my days have no set-in-stone structure. I commit to engagements, have meetings, attend events, etc.–but even those things are at my discretion. My days are wide open.

“Every day is like a blank canvas
Carving my initials in the planet like I brand it
Hand picked to live this life we take for granted

I choose adventures each day. Usually small, not-adventures-to-anyone-but-me adventures. This adventuring is one of the benefits of my current freelancer/grad student/wanderer lifestyle.

Despite these blank slate, daily adventures, I feel like I’m static and moving nowhere in an impossibly repetitive way.

Smiling through the trouble we face, trying to manage
my way without pumping my brakes and staying stagnant
Feeling like I’m checking out a game from the sideline
I got to try different things in these trying times

Iterating Up

As I search for and grow meaningful work and hone in on my thesis topic, I often feel like I’m approaching challenges in the same way I’ve always approached them. BLEGH. I am not innovative enough (for my own liking) in my problem-solving/solution-generating.

But this process of iterating is more than just going through the motions. I wonder if I could iterate upward–as though in each machination of iterating, I’d be building and moving up. To borrow from Oxford’s definition of iteration: “applying a procedure each time to the result of the previous application.”

An upward iteration–now that resembles growth.

Transition/Limen

Kendall Ruth talks about liminal space–a transitional period.

“Now the irony is, over the past several months – months wherein I’ve not been able to get anything off the ground other than various freelance writing/editing gigs, months where I’ve lost a lot of the normal things that give a person a sense of security and place – I have felt more in my skin on most days than ever before. Maybe that’s a result of Liminal space, “a place where boundaries dissolve a little and we stand there, on the threshold, getting ourselves ready to move across the limits of what we were into what we are to be.”

[You'll better understand my post if you read his in full--his post was the inspiration for writing this. I'll be here when you get back.]

I thought that when I quit my job and pursued grad school full-force that I was transitioning. That seems like a logical transition, right? But I’m not sure that was the case.

I think I’m transitioning now.

And this transition is neither tangible nor precise. Which is weird to me. It’s not even an actionable transition–it’s balancing, just so, on the precipice; I’m in the implausible space between forward momentum and hurdling off the cliff.

I’m spilling forward into flight.

Whole new blueprint, brand new layout

Iterating Flight

All my iterations have put me here. Now. My iterations were micro-adventures and work projects and brainstormings on notepads and endeavored ideas and final class papers and books & articles read and coffee shop conversations.

I think I might have a backlog of iterations.

So you can stop and refresh the rules
Breathe in, breathe out, let it heal all your exit wounds
Something inside said that’s the move
and made it today, I’ll restart fresh and new”*

These are some of the things I want to iterate while I move with my current transition/limen: I want to be involved in building a business. I want to rock out my thesis. I want to continue meeting people. I want to iterate myself again and again and again. I want all of this to look like upward iteration.

* Lyrics from The Roots “The Day” on the How I Got Over album. You can listen to the song here.

Image c/o TwilightFairy on Flickr

{squeeee} Freelance Camp comes to Fort Collins – July 28

My Front Range Colorado freelancer/independent worker/entrepreneur friends: get thee to Fort Collins on Wednesday, July 28. It’s Freelance Camp, and it’s going to rock your location-independent socks off.

The concept is easy. Show up. Express interests and ask questions. Break into small groups and exchange knowledge. Become a better freelancer.

Who should come? If you sell your services (or are considering it), you are a perfect fit: developer, designer, accountant, blogger / journalist, realtor, lawyer, carpenter, engineer, financial adviser, marketer, sales, musician, artist, inventor… Historically, the bulk of attendees are from hi-tech.

Get your Freelance Camp Fort Collins ticket here. I’ll be there. {And hit me up for a $5-off discount code good until July 7th!}

{dreamings} Wonder What Their Dream Is – on whitehot truth

If you’re already familiar with Danielle Laporte, you know the rawness and beauty of her ideas. If you’re not yet familiar, go check out whitehot truth. The above post was published almost a year ago, but it sits in my “favorite blog posts” folder and I return to it regularly. [I found this specific post through Gwen. Thanks, G].

I love to wonder about other people’s dreams. Discovering other people’s dreams is why I’ve devoted the last 6 months to meeting people–meeting anyone who will grab a cup of tea or lunch with me. I’ve been enlivened by other people’s dreams–and theirs shape and energize my dreams. Wanna share your dreamings? Skype, email, meet me. Seriously.

{orating} Why Multimedia Storytelling Matters by Nathaniel Whitmore on Change.org

I couldn’t be any more thrilled about Boulder’s very own Unreasonable Institute kicking off their inaugural summer institute for social entrepreneurs. They are also chronicling this summer’s program on their new web episode series. Telling the stories of the entrepreneurs in this way is so rich. This post on Change.org nailed it:

“In a space where the media that is exhaled veers on the one hand towards patronizing and dehumanizing for the sake of the guilt trip buck, to, on the other, arrogant and self-infatuated, I thought that this episode did a great job of introducing the Unreasonable entrepreneurs as what they are: a bunch of deep-hearted, wicked smart kids who have committed themselves to working to change the world and are now in the thick of figuring out how to do it.”

{tune} Heartbeat – J.Period & Nneka featuring Talib Kweli

image via

{image} via bear

Snicky-snack time! Life is abundant in gaterland. Spring is creeping up on Boulder, Denver & Fort Collins, Colorado {the three cities where I divide my time}. I’m still decompressing from SXSWi. I have lots of new projects blasting off. I did some cleaning up and renovation around this blog. And here are some gater snacks for you…

{Short Post, Important Words} Enough. by Jenny Blake

“If you are constantly longing for the past or waiting for the future, your entire life will be spent – well, longing or waiting.”

Wherever you’re at, whatever projects you’re working on, whoever you’re building relationships with…this is a compelling read from Jenny Blake over at Life After College.

{A Bit of Yoga, A Bit of Life} Dancer by Doniree Walker

This post made me reflect inwardly, then pushed me out of my skin. Doniree’s thoughts on being open (to yoga, to new experiences, to imbalances) were *just* what I needed to hear last week. Perhaps her perceptive and intuitive words will resonate with you, too.

{Deep} Philosophy Greats

Who knew that a philosopher could be so…pithy?

{Perspective Shift} Nikon – Universcale

“…an infinite yardstick.”

If you want a perspective shift in how you conceptualize size, space and distance, go check out Nikon’s Universcale. The intro takes a bit of time…but you can click, play around and discover interesting things after the intro. Fun.

{Tune} Cello Song – The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez

Many thanks to David Spinks for introducing me to this song. And the compilation album this song comes from, Dark Was The Night, is ear candy AND supports a good cause.

{Image} via weheartit

Two of my SXSWi roommates, Elaine Ellis and Ginger Pelz, each asked me the same question last week: “Do you have specific goals for the conference?”

Uhmmm…huh?

Yeah. I didn’t really have an answer. *hangs head in shame*

In the last few days, though, I’ve made some digital and literal space in my life. This space hints at an answer to the question Ginger and Elaine asked me.

• I plowed through my email inbox (People. There are four items in my inbox right now. *pats self on back*)
• I winnowed down my RSS feeder
• I closed Firefox last night and chose not to “save open tabs”
• I cleaned up Facebook personal info, photos and fan pages
• I pruned who I’m following on Twitter and blocked a bunch of spambots
• I moved and deleted a gaggle of files from my precious little MacBook Air
• I deleted apps on my iPhone
• I made a to-do list for projects for the next two months

Essentially, I’ve attempted to minimize my streams of information.

I want to create space & fertile ground for fresh ideas and new connections.

My SXSWi goal? Meet people. Begin meaningful relationships.

Who knows…I could encounter: my next bit of work, resources for writing my thesis, new friendships or innovative projects to collaborate on. Finding any one of these would be amazing. I’m already squeeeee-ing about getting to meet—in person—many of the people I’ve formed friendships with on the social web. So. Very. Excited.

So, as I’ve prepared for SXSWi, I’ve made space. I made sure all of my day-to-day stuff was taken care of; I’ve made a rough and I’m-sure-it-will-change-every-ten-minutes-anyway-list of panels and parties I want to attend; and most importantly, I’ve made space for new ideas and new people.

Coda:

My SXSWi goal, subpart 1: Hand out every single one of my swanky new Moo business cards. I don’t want ANY of these in my possession when I get home. :)

Entrepreneurship within the social web has been top of mind for me lately…and the first video (The New Dork) is incredible. I’m headed off to Austin, TX for South by Southwest Interactive in just two days and I can’t wait! Enjoy these chompies.

{Reel: Entrepreneurship} “The New Dork: Entrepreneurship State of Mind“

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exmwSxv7XJI

Produced by Grasshopper Labs and Pantsless Knights this video take-off of Alicia Keys’s & Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” is a social web-inspired anthem for entrepreneurship. And it’s hilarious. And actually quite on point.

{Entrepreneurship Insight} The Case for the Low-Risk Start — Jeffrey Tang

I’ve written other posts about taking a leap into the dark. Jeffrey Tang makes a much needed case for the “low risk” start, or the slow start.

“The way I see it, there are two main ways to start anything: with a bold leap of faith, or a with a quiet step forward…The low-risk start is not the ‘no-risk’ start.”

{Tune} William Fitzsimmons – If You Would Come Back Home

His beard is magnificent, his voice is luxurious.

{Photo} via loveyourchaos

Daylight saving time begins on March 14. I definitely feel like spring.

So much good stuff to share! The internets are ‘splodin with yummies.

{Rocked My Socks Off} Josh Hanagarne’s “How To Have Tourette’s Part 16: Permission To Fall Apart”

This is one of the most moving things I’ve ever read. Period. Josh writes it best, so I’ll just say: Get on over to The World’s Strongest Librarian and read this piece.

{Blog love} Peace & Projects

Understated. Thought-provoking. Challenging. Melissa Gorzela writes with honesty, vulnerability–and with power. Peace & Projects is one of the few blogs that I’ve subscribed to come directly to my inbox (most blogs I keep up with via RSS) – it’s just THAT good.

{Social Entrepreneurship} The Unreasonable Institute

I have a crush. On the Unreasonable Institute (here in Boulder, Colorado in fact!). They do SUCH amazing work.

From their website, this is what joining the forces of being Unreasonable means…

“We unite up to 25 high-impact social entrepreneurs from around the world to attend our intensive 10-week summer institute. There, we will incubate their ventures with rigorous skill training and expert mentorship. At the end of the ten weeks, we will connect our Fellows with the start-up capital and global network of support needed to give their ventures wings.”

They recently posted an article on their blog, “Where Are All the Women.” I often think about–and discuss–this topic. Although I’m not so sure about the image used in the post (the characters from Sex in the City), I really appreciate that Unreasonable is willing to ask what they can do to make a change. {May I suggest that they hire me…? ;)} Because this is an important issue, here are a couple of related posts I found compelling:

• Sarah Joy Pond responds to Unreasonable on her blog “‘Seeing’ Female Social Entrepreneurs“
• Read Write Web’s “You Can’t Launch the Next Generation of Startups Without Women“

Okay. Clearly I need to make this a blog post in the near future. :)

{Project} It Starts With Us

Do you have 15 minutes each week to help people? To make a difference? Join the ItStartsWith.Us A-Team. I joined several months ago, and have enjoyed the “missions” — simple, heartfelt…and usually I come out on the other side having learned a little more about people around me–and about myself. Being part of the A-Team has also taught me to pay more attention to the little things.

Nate St. Pierre, the founder of ItStartsWith.Us, is one of the hardest-working people I know. You can follow Nate on Twitter here and fan ItStartsWith.Us on Facebook here.

{Tune} Carolina Chocolate Drops – Ol’ Corn Likker

A new take on a traditional string band. LOVE IT. Thanks to my friend Nirvan for introducing me to the Carolina Chocolate Drops!

{Funny} “It’s like a vampire, but awesome.”

=)

{GUEST POST! YESSSSS!} At Denvelopers.com: “Approaching Creativity as a Work-in-Progress”

An important addendum to today’s gater snacks…the smart and talented guys at Denvelopers invited me–and many other people–to guest post. They gave us free rein topic-wise, and I chose to talk about creativity — Approaching Creativity as a Work-in-Progress. Go on over and have a gander — comment liberally — there’s lots of good stuff happening in the comments. How do you stay creative in the social web? I’d love to know!

And have a look around the Denvelopers site. There are lots of other great posts! I really respect the approach that the ‘velopers, Mark Mann and Kyle Davis, are taking.

Denvelopers is:

a social business run by mad scientists and friendly activists. We are always inventing new and interesting ways to develop brands. Our unique approach is a mix of Picasso and Einstein – cutting edge solutions that look out-of-this-world.

Thanks for having me, Denvelopers!

>> Aaaaaaand action!

It’s 11pm and I’m standing in the middle of the kitchen, juggling three Cuties clementines.

As I juggle, I try to keep the oranges at the same height and the same distance apart as they braid in the air. I want them to look balanced, symmetrical. Then I drop one. And then all three.

But the faster I throw the oranges and the less attention I pay to keeping them consistent, the better I juggle.

>> Cut to director’s commentary

I’m not sure what inspired me to juggle at 11pm for absolutely no reason. And don’t pester me about the fact that I can juggle. I’m well aware it’s completely dorky and peculiar. But it’s fun—and cathartic in a weird way.

It annoyed me that when I conscientiously tried to carefully juggle the oranges, I couldn’t keep them in the air. But when I quit thinking so hard about it, I didn’t drop them—not once.

In fact, I wasn’t even looking directly at the oranges. I was staring past them, using my peripheral vision to make sure I caught each one. It was somehow…natural.

>>Cut to profoundly philosophical macrocosm of life. Maybe.

I hesitate at kneeling to the cliche phrase “juggling priorities,” but juggling is exactly what I’m doing.

I’m always (and I very much mean perpetually) learning how to juggle priorities. I take on way too many projects, tasks and responsibilities. And then, once I’m overloaded, I:

1. freak out,
2. don’t sleep, get everything done butjustbarely,
3. don’t sleep, get nothing done and implode in a stressball, or
4. drink copious amounts of coffee and prance around the kitchen juggling small citrus fruits.

None of these options is healthy.

Forcing the juggling made it so unnatural. But trusting myself allowed me to be much more natural.

Though juggling oranges in my pajamas late at night doesn’t count as “artful” by any sort of fashionable or being-cool standard, I think there’s a way to be artful in juggling the excess of responsibilities many of us take on.

How? Well, for me, I’ve realized I can’t force-fit everything. If I create too many to-do lists, or assume I have it all figured out without being receptive to new ideas, or plan each day down to 15-minute increments, or super-miniscule-look!it’sdust!-micro-manage each of my tasks, I will drown in my own strategizing. (After which I will promptly burn for having uttered the word “strategizing.”)

If I give space to my ideas, endeavors and responsibilities–if I let spontaneity play a part–my responsibilities are no longer burdens. They become challenges.

Perhaps a little bit of thoughtful strategy and a little bit of unrehearsed juggling are the keys to accomplishing goals.

{But the next time you freak out about the gajillion things you have going on, try juggling some fruit, in your kitchen, in your pajamas. I recommend citrus fruits; if you’re a lousy juggler, at least you can make juice when you’re done.}